Teacher Shortage Impacts State's Goals For Transitional Kindergarten, Bilingual Classes

Here are the morning’s top stories on Monday, June 10, 2024… 

• California is in the middle of an ambitious plan to offer transitional kindergarten to all four-year-old’s by the 2025-2026 school year. It’s poised to be the largest free preschool program in the country. Adding a new grade to the state’s sprawling public school system is a tall order, as a lot of the kids heading to TK are dual language learners. 
• A superior court judge has ordered a temporary halt to the strike by thousands of academic workers at the University of California. Orange County Superior Court Judge Randall J. Sherman issued the emergency restraining order Friday after UC lawyers argued that the ongoing strike would cause irreversible harm as students are nearing finals. Academic workers have walked out over the UC’s response to pro-Palestinian protests on campuses.
• Governor Gavin Newsom is showing his support for a measure on the November ballot that would enshrine the right to marriage equality in the state Constitution. The measure repeals Proposition 8 by removing language in the state Constitution that defines marriage as being only between a man and a woman.

California Teacher Shortage Hinders Transitional Kindergarten And Bilingual Education Goals

California is working to offer transitional kindergarten to all 4-year-olds by the 2025–26 school year. It’s poised to be the largest free preschool program in the country. 

At the same time, California is looking to boost bilingual education. School districts are offering TK classes in Spanish, Vietnamese, Korean and other languages that reflect the linguistic diversity of their community and to seize upon the window when young learners are most open to language development.

But the state has a lot of catching up to do: California is behind other states when it comes to investing in bilingual education and enrolling English learners in dual-language immersion programs, experts said, and the state may not have enough teachers to reach its big goals.

Judge Orders Temporary Halt to UC Academic Workers’ Strike Over War in Gaza

Thousands of academic workers on strike at the University of California were ordered by a state judge Friday to temporarily cease their weekslong strike over campuses’ handling of pro-Palestinian protests and the police actions against protesters.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Randall J. Sherman issued the emergency restraining order after UC lawyers argued that the ongoing strike would cause irreversible harm as students are nearing finals.

The university system sued United Auto Workers Local 4811, even though both sides have competing unfair practice labor claims pending before the California Public Employment Relations Board (PERB), which declined twice to issue an emergency injunction.

Governor Newsom Fully Behind Measure To Enshrine Same-Sex Marriage Protections

Kicking off Pride Month, Governor Gavin Newsom joined other lawmakers in San Francisco Friday to promote a measure on the November ballot that would enshrine the right to marriage equality in California.

ACA 5 would amend the state Constitution, that still defines marriage as between a man and a woman. Instead, the Constitution would state that marriage is a fundamental right.  

The marriage definition in California’s Constitution dates back to 2008, when voters approved Proposition 8, a ban on same-sex marriage.